Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro died on Friday at the age of 90 in Havana. Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent his condolence.

President Raul Castro announced the news on national television. His body will be cremated according to his will, while the organizing committee for his funeral will give more details on the mourning in the coming days. Castro led Cuba for nearly half a century before stepping down in 2006 for health reasons, and was succeeded by his brother Raul.

Fidel Castro spent the last years of his life largely out of the public eye, writing editorials on world affairs for Cuba's official Granma Daily and receiving dignitaries at his home in Havana. He paid state visits to China in 1995 and in 2003.